


Adagissimo

by Everion Radnor (Lelelea)



Series: Music Verse [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: AU, Angst, Feels, M/M, Vampires, happiness, the whole nine yards that come with AUs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2018-02-25 14:26:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2625101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lelelea/pseuds/Everion%20Radnor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For servants of the night like pretty music and nearly dead blue-eyed composers that have no sense of self preservation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

It is nighttime in December. The stars twinkle.

Alfred Jones lies on the road, bleeding to death.  
He's a twenty two year old man and music is his passion. In fact, behind all the benumbing pain, he can describe his body's condition. Dissonance. His systems are going haywire; they are failing.  
He is on the verge of death.

He is on the verge of death and he has no idea why.

He hasn't been hit by a car and he hasn't been mugged. His scarf and coat are gone and the blood all over him has solidified into a dark, disgusting substance he wants to scrub off his skin, so he can pretend that this has never happened, that he was never lying on a road, staring up at the stars, dying.  
He feels as if he's no longer connected to his body and yet, he's never felt more alive. What dissimilitude.  
His vision tunnels in and out. He doesn't like that. He wants to stare at the pretty stars and wonder if anybody, other than Matthew and Mr. Edelstein, his music teacher will miss him.

Brilliance always walks alone, Mr. Edelstein had said. That's why his wife Elizaveta had left him.

He's begun to choke on his breath, lungs giving up. The crisp air's like daggers in his throat.  
Then, something touches his hair and he smells pine forests and…something warm. There's a shadow over him, a face in dark contrast with midnight blue and white pinpricks of light.

A hand slips under his shoulders and his knees. He is being picked up. His head falls back, over the arm around his shoulders and whatever little blood in him rushes into his head. The dark road continues on forever, blending with stars, sky and trees on both sides, rushing towards horizon and infinity.  
He draws one last breath and sees no more.


	2. Chapter 2

Mei was an young and inexperienced Sentinel but eager to do her job. So, when she sensed an outsider, she promptly laid down her book and launched herself out of the nearest window.

She twisted through the air, corkscrewing until she landed on her feet in the soft grass. She swiveled her head and listened.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

Approaching the forest at a slow jog, she noticed how the critters hid in their holes, shivering. Their fear perfumed the air heavily and-  
 _There._  
There was an intruder in her home.  
She growled quietly under her breath. She needed to finish her book.  
And find a cup of iced tea, but that was for later.

Twenty minutes later, the trail was cold, she had stepped in mud and now Mei wanted to go home. Which was when she was practically slammed in the face by the scent of fresh blood. Picking up her speed, she flitted through the trees and came onto the road.

There was a dead human lying on the asphalt.  
Oh, shit.  
She turned tail and _ran_ , all the way back to the manor.  
"BOSS!"

Ivan Braginski had been enjoying the warmth of the fireplace when a Sentinel burst in.  
"Yes?"  
"Sir!" She snapped to attention, panting slightly. "Permission to speak?"  
"Go on, Mei."  
"There's a dead human in our territory. Not killed by one of us."  
His head snapped around.  
"What?"  
Dead human was bad. Dead human killed by intruder was worse. Dead humans usually bought police with them.  
Ivan slipped out of the window, Mei following after.

Speeding through the trees that formed a natural border to their coven's land, Ivan pondered why he, the Imperator, was following an inexperienced Sentinel on a whim. Perhaps, it was that he was bored, he surmised. At any rate, he could have her reassigned if she had panicked.

Soon enough, he could smell the blood in the air and came out onto the scene.  
"There," Mei said unnecessarily, pointing.  
"Mei," he said quietly. "It is still alive."  
He walked the short distance to it and bent down.  
There were gashes all over it, a large bruise on its cheek. He gently turned its head to the side, examining its neck.  
Its jugular had two huge holes in it.  
Well, someone had been very hungry and the poor thing had been in the way. Ivan brushed the hair away from the forehead-a pretty shade of blonde, he noticed- and saw it staring at him.  
By God, were his eyes _blue._

Ivan had two options now. He could either give Pretty Blue Eyes a merciful death, or he could add a new member to the coven.  
Ivan looked at Mei. She had been roaming the streets when he'd found her, and pulled a knife on him.  
Could he give this one a chance at life as well?  
He shifted and something crinkled under his foot. It was a piece of paper.  
Hmm. The human, no, boy, knew music as well.  
He could do with a musician.  
Having made his decision, he picked the musician up gently.  
"Mei. Get his things, would you? And, call Dr. Laurinaitis."  
Finally, the grand piano would get some exercise. All that dust was getting to it.  
He just hoped Natalya wouldn't mind him too much.

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

Alfred wakes up with a jolt, because his chest feels like it's on fire. His head sways and bright lights dance merrily in front of his eyes.

He could have sworn that he'd last been bleeding out on a road and wondering about Mr. Edelstein and his comment about brilliance.

He was in a bed and a soft translucent sheet covered him. He blinked rapidly. Where were his glasses? Patting the covers, his hand made its way to a small table.

There was nothing but a glass of water on it.

Stumbling out of bed, he made his way to the blurry outlines of a door, fumbled for the knob and opened it. And landed flat on his face.

Picking himself up, groaning slightly, he bumped into something.

He froze and then backed up a little. Damn his eyes. Well, the best thing to do would be to apologize to the obstruction and go about his business.

"I-I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't see you there."

Just then, someone piped up, "Why are you saying you're sorry to a door?"

That was just plain embarrassing.

He turned around, to where the voice had been and decided to explain himself.

"I need my glasses. I really can't see without them."

"You aren't supposed to be out here, alone. Come. I'll find your glasses for you."

A soft hand took his and gently steered him back, towards the direction he came from. He swung his head back and forth, trying to glean as much as he could of his surroundings with his limited vision.  
It was…brown, mostly? And red. Was that a window?

He was pulled into his room again and made to sit on the bed. After a moment, steel and glass touched his hand and he eagerly put them onto his face.

Vision clearing, he looked around.

"Over here."

A man wearing a green uniform smiled tiredly at him. "Good afternoon," he said, "I'm Doctor Laurinaitis."  
"Oh! Um…good afternoon, doctor. But, why am I here?"  
The doctor sat down at the foot of the bed. "Do you remember anything of what happened to you?"

"Last thing, I was lying on a road." Alfred shifted uncomfortably.

"So, your long term memory hasn't been affected, thankfully. Bandaging you up wasn't easy. You were one of my most fragile patients."

Alfred cocked his head. "Fragile? Me?"

The man looked at him seriously.

"Yes. Alfred. Fragile. You were nearly dead when Mei and the Imperator-"

He stopped abruptly. "You don't need to know anything more, for now."

Alfred pursed his lips. What was this strange place?

"You should rest. It's been tiring enough, running about and apologizing to doors." The glasses were snatched off his face and placed on the bedside table and his legs lifted up and onto the bed.  
"I'll come and check up on you in a few hours. Sleep."

His head was buzzing with questions. Who were Mei and the Imperator? Why wasn't the doctor telling him anything? What was he doing here, in this place?

What was going on?

A hand draped across his forehead. Alfred's eyes widened. It was so _cold._  
"Sleep, Alfred. All your questions will be answered. Sleep. _Sleep._ "  
The bed was so soft and warm, the doctor's voice so soothing and his hand so cold and nice on his forehead. His eyes closed of their own accord. His questions could wait for now.

"Sleep, human."  
With that, warm oblivion overcame him and he melted into a pile of loose flesh, breath evening out.

Doctor Lithuainis made his way briskly out of the patient's room, wondering why he'd called him human. Perhaps it was to distinguish him and his coven from the fragile, delicate Alfred? Shaking his head at the slip of his tongue, he made his way down the massive stairs. Three pairs of immortal eyes watched him do so. Making his way to the tallest, he kneeled at his feet.

"Imperator," he said reverently.

"You may stand, Toris."

He did so.

"How is your charge?" A slighter, more feminine voice spoke. She stood up and smoothed her skirts.  
"He is doing well, my lady." Bowing, as he said that.

"And how long until he can take his leave of us, Doctor?"  
"Natalya!" snapped the Imperator. "Behave yourself, sister."  
"Surely it isn't rude, to ask when an unwanted guest will leave?" she snapped back.  
"Toris," said Ivan softly. "Escort Natalya to the door. She needs to go hunting. Reclaim her thoughts. Oh and…"  
He leaned over to whisper in the doctor's ear. "If anything about him gets out, I will assume it's your fault. And I will act accordingly… _Doctor._ "  
He smiled, razor sharp teeth gleaming in the soft light.  
Doctor Lithuainis bobbed jerkily. "Yes, sir."  
He held out his arm. "M-ma'am?"  
Natalya cast her brother a look-one can never disobey the Imperator- and took it. She swept out, practically dragging the doctor with her. It was by virtue of inherent grace and practice that he didn't trip.

"Oh, Toris." The other woman sighed. "Imperator, do-"  
"Katyusha, I am Ivan to you. Not Imperator."  
"Ivan, do you think Natalya will ever return his feelings? Ever at all?"  
"One never knows, with her. She might as well kill him or decide to kiss him."  
Katyusha laughed. "He'd probably faint anyways."

Natalya abruptly let go of Toris's arm the moment they stepped out into the patio. "I can handle myself, Doctor Laurinaitis."  
Toris let her do so without comment.  
"Haven't you anything to say, Doctor? No wise words of healing?"  
Toris took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.  
"I have only one thing to say, milady. You aren't alone." He lowered his head, embarrassed.  
He loped off, a slight shadow in the snow.  
Natalya looked after him, surprised. They didn't really need the coat, but one had to keep up appearances.  
And it was nice of him, giving it to her like that. Smiling, she put it on.  
 _It smells just like him,_ she mused, leaping from the porch and sailing through the air to land in front of the forest.

_How nice of the doctor._


	4. Chapter 4

Matthew bit at his lower lip, watching the policeman move about in front of him, shuffling papers and clacking away at his computer.

"Mr. Williams?"

He stood up immediately. "Yes?"

The man sighed tiredly and ran a hand through his hair. The badge on his front pocket read _Ludwig Beilshmidt._ It glinted in the harsh fluorescent lighting.

"We have no records of a man named Alfred Jones, born on July 4th, 1983. Are you sure you've gotten the name right?"

Matthew met him straight in the eye.

"Yes, I have. He's my half-brother; a music student of Roderich Edelstein at the Academy of Fine Art and History and he's as real as you!"

Fuming irrationally now, he stomped out of the station, Ludwig calling after him. He had spent a week without his brother and no news and he was sick of this.

Reaching home, he flung down his knapsack and booted up his laptop. Opening a search engine, he quickly typed in the words, _Alfred F Jones July 4 1983_ and hit enter.

There were no results found.

Closing the window, he brought up Google.  
There were no results.

Alfred's email was gone. So was his Facebook wall. His brother had vanished completely.

His strange fear, that something had gone very wrong crawled its way up his spine, ghosting at his neck. Getting up, he opened the closet door, the one where they kept all of their important little knick-knacks.

Alfred's side was empty, clean, as if nothing had ever been there.

His heart pounding in his chest, Matthew stood up and wrenched open the drawers and Alfred's closet.

They were empty. All traces of his brother had vanished.  
As if he had never been there. Never existed.

The world gave a little jerk sideways and Matthew Williams slid down the wall, onto the floor, legs splayed out in front of him.

His worst nightmare was coming true.

Alfred had always been at his side, always there, murmuring words of comfort, of praise, scolding, caring. He had been there when Matthew heard his mother say; _I don't want him_ and walk out of their lives forever. He'd been there when Emma, the Belgian girl offered to date him and he later heard her laughing about it, his tastes and his quirks to her little gaggle of friends.

His brother was his point of safety, his harbor and now he was gone.

He had to find him. They'd never been far from each other, never too angry to apologize after a fight. His world revolved around him and now, Matthew felt as if he was a lost moon, floating through space, because his planet was gone.

He knew his dependency was foolish, that he was a grown man, perfectly able to take care of himself.  
But, it was his _brother._

Burying his face in his hands, he wondered what to do and stayed like that long after the sun had sunk below the trees.

* * *

"Good evening, Feli," said Ludwig Beillshmidt and promptly received an armful of excited Italian boy. He pulled him in for a long kiss.

"I missed you, mi amor." Feliciano snuffled against Ludwig's neck, breathing in his scent.

"I was only out for a few hours, you know."

"That's too long for me," he replied and with a final kiss, released his hold on his lover.

"Oh, look, the potato's back", said a voice snidely. A man identical to Feliciano, except for the scowl on his face, stood there.

Ludwig rolled his eyes and brushed by Romano, Feliciano's twin.

Later, while sitting at the table, eating dinner with Feli, his idle mind touched upon the subject of the missing boy, Alfred. He remembered his brother, Matthew and his boundless determination to find him.

Such affection was rare. He wondered whether he could ever survive losing Feli. Looking up, he saw him smiling at him.

He smiled back. And there was his answer: he wouldn't.

* * *

This time, when Alfred woke up, found his glasses and shoved them onto his face, he found a very pretty Vietnamese girl staring at him intently. Suffice to say, he let out a manly squeak and pulled up the sheet to his chin.

"It's okay," she said, smiling sweetly. "I don't bite."

He'd been taught to always be polite to girls, so he extended his hand and shook hers.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am."

" Aww…aren't you sweet! My name is Mei Ling. You don't have to ' ma'am ' me. You should reserve that for Miss Katyusha and Miss Natalya."

He smiled at that. "My name is Alfred. Alfred Jones."

"I know."

Rather taken aback at that, he stared at her.

She stared back.

Realizing this was one battle he could not win, he dropped his gaze. "Why am I here?" he asked, staring at his fingernails.

"Oh, we saved you. You were injured. Doctor Laurinaitis stitched you up. You're alive!"

He grinned at that.

"So, what's going to happen after that?"

Mei frowned then. "To tell you the truth, Alfred, I really don't know."

Then, the door opened and the doctor walked in.

"Mei, I thought we had an agreement that no one would bother Alfred."

"Oh, uh…"

"It's all right. She was just keeping me company."

Mei gave him a grateful look and left the room.

"How do you feel?"

"A lot better, thanks." Alfred watched the doctor pull out a stethoscope from his bag.

It was when the man had placed the instrument over his chest that he spoke.

"Where am I and what's going on? Why won't you tell me anything?"

"I am not at liberty to provide you with the answers, human."

"Why do you keep calling me the human?"

"Two reasons. One, you'd most likely go into shock. Two, you'd probably run; chasing you down won't be fun. Oh, and my head would roll if that happened. So no, you'll have to wait for the answers."

He turned to leave and Alfred grabbed his hand.  
And promptly let go.

The doctor was freezing cold.

"Doctor Laurinaitis …"  
"Mei can take care of the rest. Oh, and you might want to read this. Perhaps you'll stop pestering me then."  
He tossed a book at Alfred.  
Alfred watched him leave and picked up the book. It had fallen open to the prologue.

_**"Throughout the whole vast shadowy world of ghosts and demons there is no figure so terrible, no figure so dreaded and abhorred, yet dight [adorned] with such fearful fascination, as the vampire, who is himself neither ghost nor demon, but yet who partakes the dark natures and possesses the mysterious and terrible qualities of both…. Foul are his ravages; gruesome and seemingly barbaric are the ancient and approved methods by which folk must rid themselves of this hideous pest…."** _

It took him a long time to fall asleep after that. When he did, his dreams were full of pale creatures that were cold as ice and had blood tracing their lips.

His blood.


End file.
